nuckin_futz Posted January 21, 2016 Share Posted January 21, 2016 Didn't see anyone post this yet. If it's been posted, delete it. There's been a few pro Sedin threads lately but this one is a bit different. It's written by the team's color commentator John Garret and is very critical of how the league has treated the Sedins. Figured I'd post it as it's drawing some attention from other sites like cbssports.com. Pretty bold of the Canucks' website to host this article which is basically calling out the NHL for 2nd class treatment of the Sedins. ************************************************ John Garrett: No respect Wednesday, 01.20.2016 / 10:12 AM PT / Features By John Garrett I have been involved in hockey as a professional since I was 20-years-old. I have played with and had the good fortune to broadcast games involving great players. I played with Gordie Howe, Bobby Hull, Dave Keon, Guy Lafleur, Larry Robinson, Darryl Sittler, Ron Francis, Dale Hunter, Michel Goulet, Peter Statsny, Stan Smyl, Richard Brodeur and Thomas Gradin. I have been a broadcaster for more than twenty years and have seen stars like Mario Lemieux, Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, Steve Yzerman, Sidney Crosby, Jonathan Toews, Patrice Bergeron, and Anze Kopitar and how they are treated. They were and are stars and were treated like stars. I don’t want to sound like a whiner. I don’t want to sound like Oliver Stone and that there is a conspiracy to treat the Canucks like second-class citizens, but hear me out. Henrik Sedin was a first team all star in 2010 and 2011. He was the Art Ross trophy winner in 2010 with 112 points. That same year he was the Hart Trophy winner as the league’s MVP. Daniel Sedin was the second team all star in 2010 and first team all star in 2011. He won the Art Ross Trophy in 2011 with 104 points and the Ted Lindsay award as the MVP as voted by the players. Daniel and Henrik are currently one and two in scoring with the Canucks. They are stars, no doubt about that and yet are they treated like stars? Let me go back a few years. The Sedins are two of the best guys I have met in the game. They respect the process. They rarely complain and never use the media to sell their agenda. When they first arrived in Vancouver they were two skinny kids trying to find their way. In their first four years they averaged fewer than 40 points. In the next ten years they have averaged more than a point per game. In their first four years they took abuse from not only their opponents, but from the media in Vancouver. Not once did they complain or voice their opinion. They would let their game do the talking. The problem became because they played on the west coast and because they never complained, it was easy for the league to turn a blind eye to the physical abuse that the other teams were using to try and shut them down. Marc Methot took a run at Henrik Sedin on Oct. 10 of 2011. A dirty hit on a star player and nothing was done. In 2011 in the Western Conference Final, Ben Eager took a crazy run at Henrik Sedin and got two minutes for boarding. There was no suspension. In the Stanley Cup Final in 2011 on June 6, Tim Thomas leveled Henrik in front of the net and got no penalty. Brad Marchand submarined Daniel and got nothing. In March of 2012 Duncan Keith got suspended for five games for an elbow to the head of Daniel Sedin. It was one of the most flagrant fouls you have ever seen. Daniel missed 19 regular season games and the first three games of the playoffs. That same playoff year Dustin Brown flattened Henrik Sedin with an obvious elbow on Apr.15 in the series against the Kings. No penalty was called. In March of 2014 Henrik’s iron man streak of 679 games played was ended when Martin Hanzal crossed checked him and a couple of games later he could not play. Hanzal got no penalty. In the last game of 2013-2014 season Paul Byron ran Daniel Sedin into the boards and he was carried off on a stretcher. He got five and a game and nothing else. This year Brayden McNabb threw a flying elbow at Henrik in the first two minutes of the game against the Kings at the Rogers arena on Dec. 28. There was no penalty on the play. I phoned the league office and they said they looked at it and would give McNabb a warning, but what does this do for the Canucks or the perception that the league is doing nothing? Mikhail Grabovski hits Henrik right in the numbers and runs him into the boards. He gets five and a game and nothing more. The league says that because it happened so early in the game it is like a one game suspension. The refs called a roughing penalty on Matt Bartkowski without taking an Islander off so the punishment was a game misconduct and a three minute penalty. Grabovski is a third line guy with the Islanders and missed two periods for taking out Henrik Sedin for that game and at least three more. Are you kidding me? The league says they are trying to sell their stars, well then treat them like stars not like second-class citizens. Like Rodney Dangerfield, the Sedins get no respect. http://canucks.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=798689&navid=DL|VAN|home ******************************************** Here is CBS sports' take on it ........... The Canucks website kind of called out the NHL in a very weird way By Adam Gretz | Hockey writer January 20, 2016 3:42 pm ET The Vancouver Canucks website and official Twitter account did a very strange thing Wednesday and kind of called out the NHL for its treatment of Henrik Sedin and Daniel Sedin. It all started with the tweet you see below linking to an article published on the team's website written by former player and team TV analyst John Garrett. Vancouver Canucks Verified account @VanCanucks Is there a conspiracy to treat Sedins like second-class citizens? Garrett column. FEATURE → http://ow.ly/Xki1E Retweets 138 Likes 246 10:33 AM - 20 Jan 2016 Asking in a tweet if there is a conspiracy to treat two of the NHL's best players as second-class citizens is a pretty big shot at the league for an official team account. But then you get to Garrett's article and he does not hold back in his criticism of the NHL. A brief sampling: In their first four years they took abuse from not only their opponents, but from the media in Vancouver. Not once did they complain or voice their opinion. They would let their game do the talking. The problem became because they played on the west coast and because they never complained, it was easy for the league to turn a blind eye to the physical abuse that the other teams were using to try and shut them down. He then goes on to list a series questionable hits the Sedins have been on the receiving end of throughout their careers and how those same hits almost never resulted in appropriate punishment from the league. His list includes hits from Paul Byron, Martin Hanzal, Brad Marchand, Duncan Keith and, most recently, New York Islanders forward Mikhail Grabovski for a hit on Henrik during a recent game in Brooklyn. Grabovski was ejected from the game but was not suspended. Sedin is still sidelined due to an injury as a result of the hit. Garrett ended his commentary with these sentences. Are you kidding me? The league says they are trying to sell their stars, well then treat them like stars not like second-class citizens. Like Rodney Dangerfield, the Sedins get no respect. That middle sentence is another strong shot at the NHL. That, again, also appears on the official website of an NHL team. On one hand, Garrett is an analyst, and the Canucks are simply giving him a different outlet to do what he does during games, which is share his thoughts. And it is not the first time his writings have appeared on their site. He is also not wrong that the Sedins have taken a lot of unnecessary garbage and criticism during their careers (and they still do). Their toughness is constantly questioned and they take a ton of physical and verbal abuse on (and off) the ice. Dennis Potvin actually called Daniel Sedin a low life during a bizarre, unhinged rant following a recent game. This kind of stuff goes back to the early stages of their careers, too. When Brian Burke was running the Canucks in the early 2000s he blasted the NHL's officials during a playoff series against Detroit when he said "Sedin is not Swedish for punch me, or headlock me in a scrum." But you expect that kind of stuff from a team executive in the heat of a playoff series (especially when that team executive is Brian Burke). And I am all for criticizing the NHL for the way it handles dirty hits and the way punishments are handed out by the department of player safety. And with the way the game is officiated and played, it is almost as if the league has done everything it can to minimize the impact of its star players on the ice, while its best players seem to take more criticism than the top stars in other sports. But this is true for all of them, not just the Sedins. Just look at some of the stuff guys like Alex Ovechkin and Erik Karlsson have had to put up with in their careers. Ovechkin is the best goal scorer of his generation and is only now starting to be truly appreciated for what he's doing. This came after years of being in the crosshairs for over-the-top criticism that knocked him down for every failing his team had, whether it was his fault or not. Karlsson is probably going to win his third Norris Trophy in five years and his accomplishments are treated like a joke ("He's not really a defenseman!"). The NHL does need to do more to promote its stars and let their skill shine. Garrett is right. It's just strange, and kind of unheard of, to see an article like this coming from a team website and being pushed the way it was when the message from these official channels is usually "everything is great, everything is awesome, look at how great our sport is." This was definitely not one of those messages. But I do have my own conspiracy theory on this: This is the Canucks' way of voicing their displeasure over the treatment of their star players, and this is a way for them to do it where nobody gets punished. If general manager Jim Benning or team president Trevor Linden come out and say something critical like that, they're getting fined. If coach Willie Desjardins speaks out, he's getting fined and his team doesn't get a call for a few games. But if the color analyst on TV says it on the team website? It's not a great look for them, and everybody kind of laughs about it, but nobody is getting punished. http://www.cbssports.com/nhl/eye-on-hockey/25456110 *********************************** The following are some comments left on the Canucks' official twitter account in response: Dave DeWolfe @dewolfe13 8h8 hours ago @VanCanucks wait, this is from the official team account? Jesus Christ. What a joke. paul @swagger8133 6h6 hours ago @VanCanucks this is awful and embarrassing. I like watching games with a little homerism. But this is bad from garrett and the canucks org. Cheer the Anthem @CheerTheAnthem 9h9 hours ago @VanCanucks Is you surrounding them with dog$&!# for the last several years part of the conspiracy? Helena @nuckgirl16 8h8 hours ago @VanCanucks I agree .. I don't get it .. It ticks me off!! These guys do everything and gets no respect whatsoever!! Will @WB_222 9h9 hours ago @VanCanucks is this a parody account? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Green Building Posted January 21, 2016 Share Posted January 21, 2016 John Garrett is the biggest homer in our sports market, but I kind of agree with him on this. It's too bad I read the article in his voice though, now I have that nasally, peanut buttery tone stuck in my head. The problem isn't just with the twins, it's the whole DOPS in general. Clueless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nuckin_futz Posted January 21, 2016 Author Share Posted January 21, 2016 Here's a couple of the hits Cheech was talking about in his article. 2 minutes for boarding there, no suspension No penalty, game on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fanaholic Posted January 21, 2016 Share Posted January 21, 2016 I said it once and I'll say it again. TWINS R the REAL STARS. I posted that sign and a picture on the Vancouver Canucks Fan Page (can't post it here, it's too big). Not only do the Sedins get treated badly by many players on many teams but they also get treated badly by the league. That's because they are VANCOUVER CANUCKS. What happens to us when we get penalties from the REFS and from the LEAGUE compared to many other teams - well let's just say: "We play in a league of our own". Sad but true. Rather pathetic I'd say. By the way: Great read thanks John Garrett and thanks for posting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I.Am.Ironman Posted January 21, 2016 Share Posted January 21, 2016 Cheech is right but this article wont get any traction because everyone knows him as a homer, which is true but it doesn't make him wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldnews Posted January 21, 2016 Share Posted January 21, 2016 16 minutes ago, nuckin_futz said: Marc Methot took a run at Henrik Sedin on Oct. 10 of 2011. A dirty hit on a star player and nothing was done. In 2011 in the Western Conference Final, Ben Eager took a crazy run at Henrik Sedin and got two minutes for boarding. There was no suspension. In the Stanley Cup Final in 2011 on June 6, Tim Thomas leveled Henrik in front of the net and got no penalty. Brad Marchand submarined Daniel and got nothing. In March of 2012 Duncan Keith got suspended for five games for an elbow to the head of Daniel Sedin. It was one of the most flagrant fouls you have ever seen. Daniel missed 19 regular season games and the first three games of the playoffs. That same playoff year Dustin Brown flattened Henrik Sedin with an obvious elbow on Apr.15 in the series against the Kings. No penalty was called. In March of 2014 Henrik’s iron man streak of 679 games played was ended when Martin Hanzal crossed checked him and a couple of games later he could not play. Hanzal got no penalty. In the last game of 2013-2014 season Paul Byron ran Daniel Sedin into the boards and he was carried off on a stretcher. He got five and a game and nothing else. This year Brayden McNabb threw a flying elbow at Henrik in the first two minutes of the game against the Kings at the Rogers arena on Dec. 28. There was no penalty on the play. I phoned the league office and they said they looked at it and would give McNabb a warning, but what does this do for the Canucks or the perception that the league is doing nothing? Mikhail Grabovski hits Henrik right in the numbers and runs him into the boards. He gets five and a game and nothing more. The league says that because it happened so early in the game it is like a one game suspension. The refs called a roughing penalty on Matt Bartkowski without taking an Islander off so the punishment was a game misconduct and a three minute penalty. Grabovski is a third line guy with the Islanders and missed two periods for taking out Henrik Sedin for that game and at least three more. Thank you John. You and Shorty are the best in the business. Keep on snackin'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luckylager Posted January 21, 2016 Share Posted January 21, 2016 Can't disagree with Cheech on that. Another huge problem the twins have always faced is playinging on a team that doesn't attempt to rip the heads off of anyone who even breathes on them (the twins); it's disgraceful and embarrassing. The twins have seldom been on the ice with teammates that are willing to kill for them, and that's a crying shame. They're our generals, and not a single soldier has ever stuck their neck out for them. Disgraceful and embarrassing once again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blueberries Posted January 21, 2016 Share Posted January 21, 2016 11 minutes ago, Green Building said: John Garrett is the biggest homer in our sports market, but I kind of agree with him on this. It's too bad I read the article in his voice though, now I have that nasally, peanut buttery tone stuck in my head. The problem isn't just with the twins, it's the whole DOPS in general. Clueless. He keeps his homerism to a minimum on the air which I love. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twilight Sparkle Posted January 21, 2016 Share Posted January 21, 2016 john's soapbox was brought to you by kraft dinner. still a good read Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Green Building Posted January 21, 2016 Share Posted January 21, 2016 Just now, Blueberries said: He keeps his homerism to a minimum on the air which I love. Didn't mean it in a bad way. I'll take him over the tabloid wankers who crap all over this team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riffraff Posted January 21, 2016 Share Posted January 21, 2016 3 minutes ago, luckylager said: Can't disagree with Cheech on that. Another huge problem the twins have always faced is playinging on a team that doesn't attempt to rip the heads off of anyone who even breathes on them (the twins); it's disgraceful and embarrassing. The twins have seldom been on the ice with teammates that are willing to kill for them, and that's a crying shame. They're our generals, and not a single soldier has ever stuck their neck out for them. Disgraceful and embarrassing once again. Great post. Truth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HerrDrFunk Posted January 21, 2016 Share Posted January 21, 2016 2 minutes ago, Twilight Sparkle said: john's soapbox was brought to you by kraft dinner. still a good read You mean Kraft Horrible Dressings, right? Garret is totally a homer but the thing is, he's usually not that far off even at his worst. Plus, Shorty is usually great about calling him out on it when it gets over the top. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HerrDrFunk Posted January 21, 2016 Share Posted January 21, 2016 5 minutes ago, luckylager said: Can't disagree with Cheech on that. Another huge problem the twins have always faced is playinging on a team that doesn't attempt to rip the heads off of anyone who even breathes on them (the twins); it's disgraceful and embarrassing. The twins have seldom been on the ice with teammates that are willing to kill for them, and that's a crying shame. They're our generals, and not a single soldier has ever stuck their neck out for them. Disgraceful and embarrassing once again. Well, there is this 6'3", 230 BAMF from East Van that might be interested in playing for another Benning team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nuckin_futz Posted January 21, 2016 Author Share Posted January 21, 2016 Can't say I disagree with anything Cheech said. I guess the question I have is about the optics of having an article calling out the league and their officials hosted on the team website and the team's official twitter account. Can't say I have ever seen another team take this approach. I've seen teams use members of the press to get their message across. Even if it's calling out their league, but never on their own website and official Twitter accounts. If the Bruins hosted a similar article about Bergeron or the Capitals about Backstrom. Even if the treatment they received was on par to the Sedins they'd be laughed at. The way to handle the mistreatment of the Sedins is not to whine about it. It's to have guys like Prust actually earn their paycheque and make the offenders spit chicklets. It's a shame Bieksa had to get old and slow but he couldn't be on the ice for every Sedin shift anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fanuck Posted January 21, 2016 Share Posted January 21, 2016 If Elliott Friedman or Bob Mac wrote the article everyone would likely be commenting the message, not the messenger. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fist2face Posted January 21, 2016 Share Posted January 21, 2016 Weak response by the nucks after the hit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riffraff Posted January 21, 2016 Share Posted January 21, 2016 I agree with cheech. i disagree with having it on the web site. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salmonberries Posted January 21, 2016 Share Posted January 21, 2016 Great write up John. 100% on the money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldnews Posted January 21, 2016 Share Posted January 21, 2016 On 1/21/2016 at 7:46 PM, Green Building said: John Garrett is the biggest homer in our sports market, but I kind of agree with him on this. It's too bad I read the article in his voice though, now I have that nasally, peanut buttery tone stuck in my head. The problem isn't just with the twins, it's the whole DOPS in general. Clueless. We could use a moderate homer or two like John. The market is otherwise full of media dimwits that troll their own market. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M A K A V E L I 96 Posted January 21, 2016 Share Posted January 21, 2016 Henrik needs to deliver a Pavel Bure type elbow one of these days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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